Jim Gavin fears referees are being influenced by a narrative that his side are cynical

It was announced yesterday that he will be remaining on as Dublin boss for a further two years — 2018 and 2019 — but his views on refereeing matters took centre stage.

Gavin said: “I still think the referees have been influenced by that narrative, that we are a cynical team. We got a black card up in Monaghan that clearly wasn’t.

“So when you see that narrative going about us, are referees being influenced by that narrative? I would hope not.” On Paddy Neilan getting the job to ref last month’s league final between Dublin and Kerry, Gavin said: “He’s an excellent referee.

“But you would have to certainly question the logic behind exposing a referee with that experience in those high-pressure games.

“We have a lot of experienced referees and I think there should be a better methodology of giving our top-class up-and-coming referees exposure, not at the deep end, in the high-profile games, but in a more measured way.”

Regarding his two-year extension, Gavin added: “I understand I’m in a very privileged position to be working with such a highly motivated team and management. It’s very enjoyable.”